Gun sight



July 14, 1953 K. o. HAAsE 2,645,017

GUN SIGHT Filed Feb. 21, 1949 Mmmm" 1 "1 Y /6 2 3 IV l/ 3 3 i2 E 1 Ei- 4 24 4 23 I :EIS-1 INVENToR.

/fa 0 ///msf Patented July 14,1953

UNITED. STATS VTENT OFFICE GUN SIGHT land, Calif.

Application February 21, 1949, Serial No. 89,177

This invention relates to sighting devices and particularly to those of the type with which rifles, pistols and in some cases, shot-guns are ordinarily equipped.

Riile sights have had a long and continuous historical development dating practically from the earliest use of rearms since their necessity for facilitating alignment of the rifle with the target was immediately recognized. Due to the fact that the trajectory of rille bullets is that of a path curving downwardly from the riile muzzle,` the need for a vertical adjustment on either the front or the rear sight was seen in order to compensate for the drop in the bullet when tiring at distant targets. In this development the trend was toward the adjustment of the rear sight, the front sight remaining fixed. The wide variety of rie rear sightsV known to the art today provides not only vertical adjustment but also lateral adjustment to correct for wind velocity and for variations in the performance of individual rifles due to barrel wear, etc.

Among Sportsmen and devotees of target shooting the variations in the types of rear components of open or iron sights, so called, as distinguished from telescope sights, are not considered to be of great consequence since most of such components ordinarily provide a circular aperture or peep sight, a V-notch component or both, for selective use as desired. The iront sight, on the other hand, is customarily xed on the forward portion of the rifle barrel and usually requires the services of a gunsmith f or removal or replacement. lSince there are in use several forms of front sights such as square-topped, round-topped and peep sights and the user ordinarily has a preference for a particular form and, in fact, may desire to have readily available alternate forms depending on the conditions of use, the need for an easily detachable and replaceable front sight has arisen. Such need` has been of particular concern to gun dealers who have in the past been required to carry in stock several rifles differing only in front sight components in order to have available a complete line to satisfy the vapparent but important whims of purchasers. The same need has existed but to a lesser extent in the case of hand guns, such as pistols and the like.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of this invention to provide a front sight which may be quickly and easily attached to or removed from a riile, for example, or from small arms of the pistol type.

Another object of the invention is to provide in 2 Claims. (Cl. 33-47) connection with a detachable -front sight for shoulder or hand guns, a mount which may be permanently attached to such guns and is so constructed and arranged as to readily receive in secure engagement any of a plurality of different front sight components.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide a detachable front sight for shoulder or hand guns which will remain securely locked in place despite long periods of service.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specication. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by and the said drawing and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Reference isnow made to the drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of one form of my invention.

Figure 2 is an elevation, partly in section, of another form of my invention.

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Figure l.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a vertical, sectional view taken similarly to Figures 3 and 4, but indicating the rear sight of the gun, and Figure 6 is an elevational View, partly in section, of another modied form of my invention.

Figure 7 is an enlarged sectional View of the locking element shown in Figure l.

Referring now to the drawing and particularly to Figure 1 thereof, there is shown the front end portion l of a rifle barrel surrounded by a generally cylindrical sight support 2 which may be pressed, or shrunk thereon, for example. The latter includes an upper, web-like ramp 3 which extends radially from the center of the rifle bore in a vertical direction thereabove and is elongated rearwardly as at Il to provide the maximum contact area with the upper surface of the barrel l for greater rigidity and enhanced appearance.

It will be observed that ramp 3 is provided with a horizontal portion 6 that extends from a vertical plane slightly set back from the forward end of the ramp, rearwardly for an appreciable distance and which as shown is preferably of slightly less overall length than the least longitudinal dimension. of the cylindrical portion of the sight support 2. If desired, the sight support 2 may also be secured to the barrel I by means of a set screw I provided in a radially extending bore 8 in the support 2 and engageable with a surface of the barrel.

To serve as a seat for the various sighting elements with which the user may desire to equip rifle I, there is provided in the horizontal portion 6, an' aligned and elongated slot 8 which is preferably of dove-tailed cross section and is adapted to receive the similarly shaped dovetailed tongue 9 of sighting element I0. Means are provided for retaining sighting element I in its fully inserted' position in the slot 8, and as here shown, such means comprise a spring pressed locking pin II snugly tted in a vertically extending cylindrical bore I2 of the ramp 3, the bore axis intersecting the longitudinal axis of said slot. The pin II is provided with a generally cylindrical base portion I3 Yengageable Y with a compression spring I4 seated in the bore I2, and an upwardly extending portion I8 having a flatY surface Il facing and engageable by the leading edge of sighting element II). In

order to permit the pin to be fully seated in the bore I2 Yso as to permit ready insertion or removal of the element I0, but to prevent accidental dislodgement of the pin II, a fixed transverse pin I8 secured inramp 3 is provided between the surface I'I and the bore I2. It will thus be seen that by pressing down on the pin II and compressing spring I4, the sighting element I8 may be inserted into slot 8, and moved rearwardly to its fully inserted position where it engages a complementary aligned wall I9 at the inner end of slot 8 serving as an accurate stop y for limiting the insertion of tongue 9. The pin II is then allowed toreturn to its fully extended position Where it'will serveV to prevent forward movement of the element I0 in the slot 8.

As will Vbe readilyapparent from the form of the invention depicted in Figure l of the drawing, the gun sight element I8 is readily inserted into accurately positioned and locked relationship with the slot 8 and hence with rifle I. It is obvious that sighting elements of squaretopperd, circularaperture or other configuration may be readily substituted for the round-topped sighting element AII) shown in this figure.

i The modified form of my invention shown in Figure 2 of the drawing Vdiffers from that of Figure l in'several important aspects. Instead of placing the locking means at the forward end of the ramp Vil where it may be exposed to the entry of dirt or other foreign matter or possible damage which might impair its functioning, it may be preferable to dispose such means at a point between the ends of the slot 8 and the tongue. 9. Also as an alternative to the springretained pin VII of Figure l, I have shown the use of a ball I9 which is spring-pressed into a cooperative recess 2| formed in the dove-tailed tongue 22 of a sighting element 23 as shown, for example, as a flat-topped element surmounted by a hood 24. The latter includes a slittedlower Wall adapted Yto detachably engage a pair of oppostely disposed grooves 26 of the ramp 3 and which extend 'longitudinally therein. The slit in the wall preferably extends for only the major Y portion of the length of the hood so that as shown in Figure 2, the leading edge of the ramp acts Aas a stop member to prevent the hood from being inserted for too great Vav distance over the element 23. Also,A it is desirable to knurl the forward portion 'of the hood so the operator may 4 more readily place the hood on or remove it from the rifle.

In the modification of my invention depicted in Figure 6, locking of the sighting element is accomplished by use of a flat spring suitably formed to provide an upstanding detent or projection which cooperates with a similarly shaped recess in the element. Also such spring serves to press the sighting element into its fully elevated functional position. Accordingly, it will lbe noted that slot 2l corresponding to slot 8 of Figure 1 is somewhat deeper throughout its length to accommodate the at spring 28 retained therein by a screw 29 for example, threaded into the ramp portion 3. bent upwardly at a point intermediate its length to provide a detent portion 3| Which'is adapted to seat in locking engagement in a recess 32 provided in the lower face of dove-tailed tongue 33 of the sighting element. Tongue 33 is thus pressed upwardly by spring 28 andl against the inclined sidewalls of the dove-tailed slot 21 but may readily be removed by the user when desired.

Figure`5 discloses that the rear sight 35 may be installed in a manner similar to that previously mentioned for the front sight installation, wherein a ramp 36 is secured to the gun barrel 31 by means of a countersunk screw 38 or the like, engageable with the ramp 36 and the gun barrel 3l. The ramp as here shown is provided with a dove-tail slot 4I engageable by a complementary section 42 of the rear sight. Any suitable locking means may be provided to secure the sight against sliding in the slot.

While I have shown certain preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be apparent that numerous modifications may be made. Accordingly, I do not desire the present invention to be limited except as may be properly within the scope of the following claims.

I claim: Y

1. A detachable sight for the ybarrel of re arms comprising a sight support adapted to be rigidly secured to and substantially encircle a portion of said barrel and including a longitudinally extending slotted portion of dove-tail cross-section and a vertical bore, a sighting element including a longitudinally extending tongue of dove-tail cross-section for cooperating'with said slotted portion, a spring-pressed pin disposed in said bore and adapted to engage an end portion of said tongue for detachably retaining said sighting element and support in assembled relation, and means on said support adapted to engage the other end portion of said tongue for limiting the longitudinal movement thereof relative to said support.

2. A detachable sight for the barrel of rearms comprising a fixed sight support adapted to be rigidly secured to said barrel and including a longitudinally extending slotted portion of dove-tail cross-section and a vertical bore, a sighting element including a longitudinally extending tongue of dove-tail cross-section cooperating with said slotted portion, means limiting longitudinal movement of said tongue in said support, a spring-pressed pin disposed in said bore and adapted to engage and end portion of said tongue for detachably retaining said sighting element and support in assembled relation, and means traversing said bore limiting upward movement of said pin in said bore.

KURT O. I-IAASE.V

(References cn following page) Spring 28 is References Cited 1n the me 0! this patent Number UNITED STATES PATENTS 32223 Number Name Date 213771704 858,524 Marble Julyz; '31907 5 2,479,277 875,016 Uren et al. Deo. `31,1907 1909,941 Roscoe Jan. `119.71909 352,875 Endrezze Aprv Number 2,039,907 Jefferson May 589,157 2,053,305 Forslmg oct. go 1936 10 619,588 2,123,273 Burton July 12g-193s 942,654

Ganaway Nov. 21, 1939 Name Date Brewer Feb. 13, 1940 Forsling June 11, 1940 Loomis June 5, 1945 Terhaar Apr. 16, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain June 12, 1947 Great Britain Mar. 11, 1949 France Sept. 20, 1948 

